This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice. Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use. Because a pronoun REFERS to a noun or TAKES THE PLACE OF that noun, you have to use the correct pronoun so that your reader clearly understands which noun your pronoun is referring to. If the pronoun takes the place of a singular noun, you have to use a singular pronoun. NOTE ALSO: Recently, the use of "they" and "their" as singular pronouns has become more popular. This is due in part to the awkwardness of workarounds like "his or her" and in part to a broader cultural recognition that not all individuals identify themselves with the words "he" or "she." In fact, several official citation resources (including the the  Associated Press and the  Chicago Manual of Style) now include guidance on this kind of usage. See the OWL's page on the singular "they" for more information. If you are writing in the first person (I), don't confuse your reader by switching to the second person (you) or third person (he, she, they, it, etc.). Similarly, if you are using the second person, don't switch to first or third. INCORRECT: When a person comes to class, you should have your homework ready. CORRECT: When a person comes to class, he or she should have his or her homework ready. INCORRECT: Although the motorcycle hit the tree, it was not damaged. INCORRECT: I don't think they should show violence on TV. INCORRECT: George worked in a national forest last summer. This may be his life's work. INCORRECT: If you put this sheet in your notebook, you can refer to it. Purdue OWL is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2024 by The On-Campus Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. This website collects and publishes the ideas of individuals who have contributed those ideas in their capacities as faculty-mentored student scholars. The materials collected here do not express the views of, or positions held by, Purdue University. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use. Privacy policy.